Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Have you ever wondered what the Reggio Approach is all about, why it
works and how it can be used to benefit the young children in your setting?
This book provides an accessible introduction to the values and princi-
ples underlying the Reggio Approach to early years care and education.
It demonstrates how practitioners in the United Kingdom have drawn
inspiration from the Reggio Approach and developed their own practice
in order to provide high quality experiences for young children.
This new edition has been fully updated to show the connections
between the Reggio Approach and the principles and commitments of
the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Each chapter focuses
on one important aspect of the Reggio Approach and includes:
● Practical examples involving children of different ages in a wide
variety of settings, helping the reader to see the connection between
practice and theory
● Questions to enable the reader to reflect on and develop his or her
own practice
● References to sources of further reading and information.
This convenient guide will help early years practitioners, students and
parents to really understand what the Reggio Approach can offer their
setting and children.
Linda Thornton has over thirty years’ experience in education and child-
care. As a director of alc associates she currently provides consultancy
and training for local authorities, children’s centres, nurseries and schools
across the UK.
SECOND EDITION
Acknowledgements vi
Introduction 1
2 Relationships 13
3 Creativity 30
4 The environment 47
5 Time 64
Conclusion 112
Useful contacts 114
v
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the parents, children and staff of these early years
settings, schools and organisations for the use of the photographs in this
book:
The photos of the city of Reggio Emilia are the authors’ own.
vi
Introduction
1
Introduction
2
Introduction
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets out the princi-
ples behind the good practice which should be found in all our early
years settings. These principles are based on what we value and feel is
important for young children in our society.
The four principles of the EYFS are:
● A unique child: Every child is a competent learner from birth who can
be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
● Positive relationships: Children learn to be strong and independent
from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a
key person.
● Enabling environments: The environment plays a key role in support-
ing and extending children’s learning and development.
● Learning and development: Children develop and learn in different
ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development
are equally important and interconnected.
In Reggio the high quality experiences provided for young children are
built on a set of key values. These have been developed over many years
3
Introduction
4
Introduction
Reference
5
Introduction
Further reading
This video tells the story of the Reggio experience from its earliest begin-
nings in Villa Cella. The philosophy and pedagogy are described by
educators working in Reggio, and there are some short video sequences
filmed in the preschools and infant-toddler centres.
6
Background to the
1 Reggio Approach
History
7
Background to the Reggio Approach
Influences
The key person responsible for the development of the Reggio Approach
was Loris Malaguzzi. In 1945 Loris Malaguzzi was a primary school
teacher working in Reggio Emilia. When he heard about the preschool
which was being built in Villa Cella he cycled to the village to find out
what was happening. Listening to the women who were working, and
8
Background to the Reggio Approach
9
Background to the Reggio Approach
Organisation
Staff roles
Some of the staff roles in the early childhood centres are very similar to
those in the UK, and others are very different.
Teacher
In Reggio the word ‘teacher’ is used for the staff who work with the
children in the same way as the term ‘practitioner’ is used in the UK.
Teachers work in pairs. They plan together and support the children as
they are playing and working together in groups.
Each pair of teachers usually stays with the same group of children
from the time they start in the centre until they move on to either
10
Background to the Reggio Approach
Atelierista
Pedagogista
The next six chapters look in turn at each of the key values of the Reggio
Approach. These are:
● Relationships
● Creativity
● The environment
● Time
● Learning and teaching
● Reflective practice.
11
Background to the Reggio Approach
Further reading
12
2 Relationships
Right at the heart of the Reggio Approach is the very powerful image
adults have of children. Every child is seen as strong, confident and
competent. Strong children have their own ideas, express opinions, make
independent choices and are able to play and work well with others.
This powerful image of the child needs adults who listen to children
and trust them to make responsible decisions. In the Reggio Approach
listening to children involves paying careful attention to what they have
to say and think, and taking their ideas seriously.
In Reggio the adults are willing to learn alongside the children. They
work together in partnership rather than the adult being ‘in charge’
and having all the answers. The role of the adult is to plan starting
points for the children to explore and to provide open-ended resources
which encourage the children to develop their own thinking and ways
of learning. The adults watch and listen carefully to what the children
do and say and use their observations to guide and extend each child’s
learning.
Children are encouraged to learn from one another. They work and
play together in small groups from a very early age. They learn to listen
to each other’s points of view and to respect the views and feelings of
others.
13
Relationships
In Reggio, all children are equally important and children with dis-
abilities are welcomed into the infant-toddler centres and preschools.
Children with disabilities are referred to as having ‘special rights’ rather
than ‘special needs’. This recognises them as strong children who can
play a full part in the life of their group.
Two-way relationships
teachers
parents children
14
Relationships
Involving parents
Parents have played a central role in the infant-toddler centres and pre-
schools of Reggio Emilia from the very beginning. The first preschools,
founded after the Second World War, were a symbol of hope for the
future. Since then, parental participation has been at the heart of the
development of the Reggio Approach.
The staff of the centres value the important role that parents play in
their children’s development and learning. Parents are expected to be
actively involved in the life of each centre and in return their opinions
are respected by staff. Parents take part in group meetings with the
teachers, atelieristas and pedagogistas and they also play a role in the
management of the centres through their involvement in early childhood
councils.
Over the last 60 years the relationship between the early childhood
centres and the city of Reggio Emilia has grown and developed. The
municipality invests money in the preschools and infant-toddler centres
and in services for families. In turn, the early childhood centres see it as
their responsibility to nurture good citizens of today, and of the future.
The centres take every opportunity to tell the local community about their
work, often by displaying the children’s projects, thoughts and artwork
in shops, theatres, parks and in the streets of the city.
In the Reggio Approach children learn how to behave as responsible
members of society. Here, society means the child’s family, the adults
and children in their infant-toddler centre or preschool as well as the
wider community in which they live. The powerful children of Reggio
15
Relationships
Emilia are helped to understand that they have duties and responsibili-
ties as well as rights. The routines within the early childhood centres
are designed not only to respect children’s rights, but also to give them
opportunities to be responsible and carry out their duties.
16
Relationships
Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When par-
ents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results
have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.
17
Relationships
● The key person makes sure that each child for whom they have spe-
cial responsibility feels individual, cherished and thought about by
someone, in particular while they are away from home.
● The key can help parents to build a partnership with professional staff
and make sure that parents know about their child’s day.
● The key person is likely to have a powerful impact on a child’s
18
Relationships
For a staff team to work together successfully you must agree an image
of the child that you can all share. You will need to set aside time to do
this together. All of us have an image of how we think children should
be. We will have formed this image in many different ways – the way we
were brought up ourselves, what we have learned about young children
and what we have seen happening in practice. Remember it is important
that all staff have an opportunity to share their views of children and
childhood.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance requires practitioners to
view children as competent, confident individuals. This means respecting
19
Relationships
20
Relationships
politely to them and being interested in what they have to say you can
provide a good role model for children to follow. Adults working as part
of a team can share observations and use their combined experience to
plan together how best to extend children’s learning.
Active listening
Active listening involves showing that you are interested in what children
have to say. Some children will be able to express their ideas and feelings
21
Relationships
easily in words, but others may find this more difficult. They may be too
young to use language or they may not yet have mastered the technic-
alities of putting complex thoughts and ideas together in words. Other
children may not have the confidence to speak out.
For all children it is important to pay careful attention to the many
different ways they use to communicate. This could be by their facial
expression, their body language, how they stand or move or how they
behave in a particular situation.
Making time to listen to children can be planned in as a part of your
daily organisation and routines. At the beginning of the morning or after-
noon the children could come together as a group to discuss what they
are going to do during the session. This gives children an opportunity to
talk about things that are important to them and to think about how to
organise their ideas. This is an opportunity for you to model how to listen
carefully to help children to learn to listen to one another.
Where this group meeting happens is important. It needs to be some-
where where everyone can sit comfortably, can hear one another, and
where you won’t be interrupted.
Talking and listening together in a group also helps children to learn
how to negotiate with one another and agree how to share equipment
and resources. Shared plans, negotiated and agreed at the beginning of
the session can always be referred back to later in the day if any conflict
arises. These then become practical opportunities to reinforce teamwork
and cooperation and show children the importance of individual rights,
duties and responsibilities.
Active listening can take place anywhere – indoors or outdoors.
Remember there are many opportunities for extending children’s play
and learning when they are outdoors. You can do this by listening
to and watching what is going on around you and then intervening
appropriately.
Children have views and opinions about the setting they are in, the
organisation of their day and the resources and equipment that they have
22
Relationships
to use. They may express these opinions in various ways – through avoid-
ing areas of the setting, ignoring certain resources or showing that they
enjoy some aspects of their daily routine more than others. Consulting
with children and encouraging them to tell you about their likes and
dislikes is a very obvious way of showing that you value what they have
to tell you.
You could ask for their ideas and opinions by talking with them, or you
could help them to use a camera to take photographs of places they like
and places they don’t like. Talking together about these photographs will
help you think together about why the layout and routines of the setting
are arranged in a particular way. This will help children to appreciate
why some things are as they are as well as to identify things which could
be changed.
Remember, if you consult with children, and ask them for their ideas
about things, you have to be prepared to change things in response to
what they tell you.
Involving parents
23
Relationships
may need lots of encouragement and support. Provide parents with clear,
straightforward information about what happens in your setting, how the
space is laid out and how the day is organised. An ‘identity card’ with
pictures of the staff, a plan of the building and the routine of a typical
day will help parents to feel part of the life of the setting.
Photographs and children’s comments recorded during the course
of the day can be put into a ‘daily diary’ positioned where parents and
carers pick children up at the end of the day. Looking at this informa-
tion before they collect their child will give parents a starting point for a
conversation with their child about what they have been doing during
the day.
Involving parents in projects carried out in the setting gives them a
greater understanding of how young children learn. It also allows you to
draw on a wide range of expertise and experience
24
Relationships
25
Relationships
Snapshot
26
Relationships
same time parents were informed about the garden project and invited
to input their ideas, skills and experience.
The children came up with many different ideas, some more practical
and feasible than others. Adults and children spent time discussing all
the different ideas and eventually agreed on a small range of projects,
some of which could be started immediately, and others which would
take longer to carry out. The children were quick to volunteer the skills
of their parents to assist.
One idea, popular with many of the children, focused on making a
‘reading den’ in a corner of the garden – a wooden base and frame which
could be draped with fabric to create a special place to look at books, or
play with toys and friends. Parents and staff provided the woodworking
skills to build the frame. One member of staff worked with a small group
of children to plant up the adjacent border with scented plants and herbs,
donated by the local garden centre.
The reading den quickly became a favourite place for children to play
outside, changing its identity from a shop to a den to a tent to garage,
to a boat to a space rocket, depending on the interests of the group
using it.
The offcuts of wood from the frame had been stacked in a low pile
nearby, along with some large stones and a rotten branch. Within two
weeks the area was a rich source of insects, spiders, worms and woodlice.
Children and staff then worked together to devise ‘ground rules’ for
the use of the ‘reading den’. These helped to ensure that everyone had a
chance to use the den and that the plants and the log pile were respected
and not disturbed.
Throughout the project staff took photographs and noted the children’s
comments and ideas. This information was put together in a documenta-
tion panel which was displayed in the local library.
Reference
DCSF (2008) Early Years Foundation Stage; Setting the standards for
learning development and care for children from birth to five.
27
Relationships
Further reading
Five- and 6-year-old children from the Diana school tell incoming
3-year-olds about their new preschool. This publication gives a wonder-
ful insight into the Reggio experience as seen through the eyes of the
children.
Davoli, M. and Ferri, G. (eds) (2000) Reggio Tutta: A Guide to the City
by the Children. Italy: Reggio Children.
● How do we show parents that we value them and the role they play?
28
Relationships
29
3 Creativity
● open-ended resources
30
Creativity
Intelligent materials
31
Creativity
32
Creativity
Languages of expression
Children communicate their thinking not just through what they say,
but also through painting, drawing, construction, role play, small-world
play, movement, music making, singing, dancing, exploring and problem
solving. These are all the activities that take place daily in a high-quality
early years setting.
Being aware of all these different languages of expression means we
need to see the value of all the different aspects which make up children’s
play. This will involve ideas developed by the children from their own
experiences as well as activities planned by you as a practitioner, and
could be happening indoors or outdoors.
As adults we all have different interests and talents and will naturally
33
Creativity
find it easier to connect more easily with some aspects of children’s play
than others. For example,
● the outdoor enthusiast will see the value of digging in the garden and
finding earthworms;
● the musically talented will appreciate a baby’s attempts to use differ-
ent resources as a drum;
● the practically minded will value the importance of children explor-
ing how different materials behave when you try to build with them.
● making sure the daily activities and opportunities planned for the
children provide a wide variety of experiences;
● guarding against accidentally giving out messages to children, or
parents, that some activities, experiences or forms of expression are
more important than others;
● paying attention to the different ways in which individual children
approach their learning, not assuming that everyone learns in the
same way as we do.
34
Creativity
Creative spaces
35
Creativity
practice – newspaper is cheap and easily disposed of. However it can also
be messy, provides a very dull background and can distract from the work
a child is involved in. Using plain lining paper instead gives a powerful
message to children about how much you value their creative efforts.
With all creative resources and equipment for children – drawing and
painting materials, clay and dough, cutting and joining tools and musical
instruments – it is important for children to be taught the skills they need
to use the materials creatively and safely.
Children will only understand the many different ways in which clay
can be manipulated – by pushing, prodding, squeezing, squashing, roll-
36
Creativity
ing, cutting and joining – when they have had the opportunity to watch
an adult, or another child, working clay in all these different ways.
Learning from the Reggio Approach will involve you in helping children
to develop some of their ideas and explorations over an extended period
of time. They will need to be able to store things safely so they can come
back to them at a later date.
Organising your creative area so that you can display children’s work
in progress will demonstrate to everyone – children, staff and parents
– how much you value their ideas. These displays can become an impor-
tant and constantly changing part of the environment of your setting.
Displaying these part-finished projects will encourage other children and
adults to comment, ask questions and become involved.
37
Creativity
Creativity outdoors
38
Creativity
● stock the space with large pieces of wood, planks, crates, guttering,
pipes, fabric sheets, ropes, boxes, buckets and tubes for building
large-scale constructions and dens;
● use it as a space where children can investigate shadows, ‘painting
with water’ or reflections in a puddle;
● use it as an outdoor performance area – for stories, role play, music
making and dance.
Open-ended resources
39
Creativity
As with all the other resources in your setting you would need to check
these collections of resources regularly to make sure they are safe and
clean, and to supervise children when they are using them.
40
Creativity
41
Creativity
Think carefully how you present these resources to the children. The
more attractively they are presented, the more likely the children are to
use the resources creatively. Perhaps you could set them out in clear
plastic trays arranged in colour-coded patterns, similar to the arrange-
ment you find in a paint or fabric colour chart. This attention to detail
will show the children how much you value the materials, will encourage
them to choose and use them creatively and to clear them away carefully
when they have finished.
To be creative children have to feel confident to take risks and try things
out. Part of this will involve them ‘taking risks’ with their ideas. This
means being confident to ask questions and put forward ideas without
being afraid that people will either laugh at them or tell them they are
wrong. You can develop this ‘climate for creativity’ through the way
you build children’s self-confidence and self-respect by being an active
listener and a good role model.
Encouraging children to ‘try things out’ involves you being comfortable
with what is known as ‘risky freedom’. To learn fully about the world they
live in it is very important for them to have the opportunity for all sorts of
different ‘guided experiences’. These ‘guided experiences’ might include
finding out how to handle a glass object safely, learning how to climb
a ladder or a set of steps, being shown how to saw a piece of wood or
hammer in a nail safely. These experiences all carry an element of risk
but being aware of what risk is, and how to manage it, is an essential part
of children developing an appreciation of danger.
Risk in any situation can be minimised by carrying out a thorough risk
assessment. Remember risk assessments are there to make experiences
and activities as safe as possible; they are not intended to be used as an
excuse for not doing things.
The following ‘snapshot’ demonstrates what creative expression might
look like with very young children.
42
Creativity
Snapshot
43
Creativity
the pine cone in the middle-sized box and puts the lid on. She puts the
lid on the largest box and offers it to her key worker.
Discovering the box is empty the adult pretends to be disappointed.
The toddler takes the box back, wraps the middle-size box up in the
chiffon scarf and offers this to the practitioner as a present. The game
continues for some time, exchanging boxes back and forth.
Next, the cardboard tube is added to the toddler’s play. The key worker
drops the pine cone into the open end of the tube and expresses great sur-
prise when it rolls out of the other end. The toddler abandons the boxes
and scarf and plays for some time with the cone and tube – discovering
along the way what happens when you hit yourself on the head with a
cardboard tube.
The practitioner mimes peering down the tube and the toddler cop-
ies this. She then in turn mimes speaking into the tube and putting it
to her ear. This game with the tube continues for some time until the
adult pushes the chiffon scarf into the open end of the tube. The tod-
dler pulls the scarf out, drops it over her head and collapses in a fit of
giggles.
The whole interaction has lasted about half an hour; several times dur-
ing the encounter the nursery manager used a digital camera to record
what was happening. These pictures will be shared with the child’s
parents at the end of the day. A written comment from the key worker
describing the context of the encounter will be added to the pictures
before including them in the display on the wall of the nursery. Later in
the week the encounter will be used in a staff meeting to develop their
understanding of young children’s learning.
Further reading
This book tells the story of a series of projects involving children from
infant toddler (0–3 years) to middle school age (8–9 years). It contains
44
Creativity
45
Creativity
46
4 The environment
47
The environment
Some of the early childhood centres are purpose-built and others are
found in refurbished buildings. They all include small spaces, large open
spaces, thresholds between the inside and outside, and outdoor areas.
In Reggio they look carefully at the use of space and use the expression
‘every space has a purpose’. This involves looking carefully at how dif-
ferent spaces are planned and used.
For children there are spaces where they can:
● be creative
● make choices
● explore and investigate
● think and reflect
● be involved in projects
● communicate
● have privacy.
48
The environment
As well as the home bases for groups of children, which in Reggio are
called classrooms or sections, each building also has a number of special
rooms.
These special rooms are the piazza, the atelier, the kitchen and dining
room and the courtyard. They are modelled on the squares, galleries,
restaurants and parks of the city of Reggio Emilia.
The piazza is a large space in the middle of the building where chil-
dren of different ages meet and play together. Large equipment such
as kaleidoscope mirrors, dressing-up capsules and puppet theatres are
found in the piazza.
The atelier, or studio, is usually found off the piazza. This is where
groups of children take part in creative activity with the atelierista on
a daily basis. The atelier is equipped with a wide range of creative
resources, including clay, art materials, reclaimed and natural materials.
A mini atelier is also attached to each classroom.
The kitchen and the dining areas are very important parts of the cen-
tres. Mealtimes are seen as very valuable opportunities for the children’s
personal and social development. Tables are laid out by the children
with tablecloths, flowers and real crockery, glasses and cutlery. The
kitchen staff play a vital role in the life of the centres and large windows
between the kitchen and the rest of the centre allow the children to see
them preparing meals.
The courtyard is an open-air space next to the piazza which the chil-
dren can access at all times. It creates an indoor/outdoor space. In Reggio
the courtyard is called the ‘classroom without a roof’.
In Reggio the architecture of the buildings and the layout of the rooms
all support the philosophy behind the Reggio Approach. The spaces are
designed to allow each child, and each group of children, to have daily
opportunities to play, to explore and discover, to communicate and to
develop relationships.
49
The environment
50
The environment
● visibility
● flexibility
● light and shadow
● reflection
● multi-sensory spaces.
51
The environment
Visibility
Being able to see in and out of rooms helps us to see ourselves as part of
a wider community. We can see what is happening elsewhere and feel
connected to everyone and everything in our setting. It stops us feeling
cut off from children and staff in other rooms and from the outside world.
When centres are being designed or refurbished it is possible to look
at different ways of dividing off rooms and spaces. Walls can be half-
height, made partly of transparent materials or have internal windows.
Porthole windows in doors, at child and adult height, can give glimpses
of what is happening beyond the home base. Doors can be replaced by
open archways or ‘saloon’ doors.
As adults, we appreciate how being able to see out of windows is
important for emotional well-being. We feel comfortable knowing what
is happening outside, being aware of the time of day, the weather and the
seasons. Most buildings we live and work in have windows positioned
so that adults can do this. We need to consider ways of making sure that
children too are able to observe the world outside. If your setting has
high windows think about replacing them with lower windows or patio
doors. If that isn’t possible try raising the floor level by building a fixed
platform area for children to stand on.
There are very simple things we can do to ensure that we make the
most of the visibility we have. Draw children’s attention to things that are
visible outside. Make sure that you lift babies and toddlers up to see out
of the windows. Avoid covering the windows with pictures and paintings;
use voile if you need to screen large windows from public view.
Flexibility
Different groups of children and staff will have their own ideas about the
environment they like to play and work in. Some areas of the room may
be fixed, for example the area where water is explored, but most spaces
can be changed and used for different purposes at different times.
Instead of using fixed items of furniture to create areas within the room
try open shelving, clear perspex screens or large weaving frames as room
52
The environment
dividers. Areas for rest and sleep can be softened and the ceiling lowered
by using lightweight drapes and canopies.
Rooms filled with fixed furniture, tables and chairs leave little opportu-
nity for flexibility or space for children to move around. Think carefully
about how many tables and chairs you need to have in a room and look
at other possibilities for some activities – would children be more com-
fortable playing on the floor, or at a low table or platform?
Is there an area in the room where children can build a den? Den
building – using frames, sheets or blankets – is an important way for
children to have an element of control over the environment they are in.
They can choose and use the den building materials independently and
learn to cooperate together as a team during the building process. The
den itself then becomes an ideal place for children to play together in
small groups, encouraging communication and fostering relationships.
Many settings have looked at ways to provide more flexibility by
increasing children’s use of the outdoors. This includes opening doors
and giving children free access to the outdoor area as well as placing
resources and activities that are traditionally used indoors in the outdoor
area. This can include mark making and creative materials, small-world
play toys and props for imaginative play.
Children who attend the setting regularly throughout the year may
spend a lot of time in a room base; it becomes a home away from home
for them. Talking to them about how the room is laid out, and what they
like (and dislike) about it will help them feel an important part of the
setting. Changing the appearance of the room on a regular basis helps to
keep it fresh and exciting – for adults and children alike.
As adults we are all conscious of light and shadow, but perhaps take
them too much for granted. Light and shadow are resources which young
children find fascinating, and they are available for next to nothing.
Large, low-placed windows give children lots of opportunities to expe-
rience natural light and to become aware of shadows. Look around your
setting at different times of day and see where the sun comes in to the
53
The environment
54
The environment
the room will draw children in to look closely at natural and transparent
objects placed on it. They can investigate pattern and colour and explore
what things are made of and how they behave.
Light from an overhead projector placed on a low table, or on the
floor, can be projected onto a plain wall, a sheet, the ceiling or the floor.
Objects placed on the projector screen create dark, pale or coloured
shadows and can be moved around to create large pictures, patterns
and stories. These all provide interesting starting points for conversations
and discussions and opportunities for small groups of children to play
together cooperatively.
Reflection
55
The environment
56
The environment
Multi-sensory spaces
Often we use our sense of sight to gather information about what our
environment is like – we tend to focus on what it looks like. It is important
to remember that young children, and particularly babies, will also be
using their other senses – hearing, smell and touch – to explore the space
they are in. Planning a multi-sensory environment will give children lots
of opportunities to develop their whole range of sensory awareness.
Remember to consider the environment from the perspective of very
young children. They are much closer to floor level than we are as adults
and how they ‘see’ the setting when they look around varies with how
old they are. Babies in particular will have a great interest in the floor,
the skirting boards and the ceiling. Try crawling around your setting and
looking out of the windows to get an impression of what it is like. What
does it feel like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? What
does it look like?
Textures
Different textures and materials used as floor coverings and on walls and
doors will give children lots of sensory opportunities and, as they become
older, will help to develop their vocabulary and language. Consider how
you could use carpet, lino, tiles, slate, AstroTurf, brick, stone, wood,
metal, fabric, mirrors and perspex in ways which encourage children to
become familiar with these different materials – what they feel like, what
they smell like and what they sound like.
57
The environment
Colour
Think about how you use colour in your setting. We have a tendency in
the UK to use lots of strong vibrant colours in environments for young
children. Toys and equipment for young children are often brightly col-
oured as well, as are children’s clothes. This can lead to a confusion of
colour in a room, making it hard to pick out individual items. Rugs and
table coverings with complicated bright patterns on them can make it
very difficult for children to focus their attention on the resources they
are playing with. Pastel colours can help to create a calm and peaceful
environment. Paler colours on walls, ceilings and floors and plain table
covers will provide a neutral backdrop and resources, displays and
equipment will stand out better.
Sound
Creating ‘quiet spaces’ within busy early years settings can sometimes be
challenging. Children need to have restful quiet spaces they can escape
to where they can relax, talk quietly, look at books and think. This could
be a semi-permanent feature in one part of the room, with a canopy,
rugs and floor cushions, or a temporary space created by the children as
a den.
Music can be used very effectively to create a ‘mood’ within a room.
Children will respond differently to quiet calm music and loud vibrant
music – try playing different music in the background while children are
drawing or painting and observe how this affects the artwork that they
produce.
Smell
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The environment
everyday things as well as looking and touching we can make them more
aware of their sense of smell. Meal times are ideal opportunities during
the day to encourage children to focus on smell, and to try to guess what
something is by what it smells like.
Outdoors
Snapshots
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The environment
60
The environment
Ben’s Bistro
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The environment
together about things that have happened during the morning or about
what is happening in the children’s lives at home.
Mealtimes are now relaxed, social occasions with plenty of time to eat,
talk and enjoy the company of friends. At the end of the meal the waiters
help to clear the tables and tidy up and reorganise the room, ready for
the start of the afternoon session.
Practitioners point out that changing the environment in this way on a
daily basis requires planning and organisation as well as a shared under-
standing amongst staff of the importance of mealtimes.
Further reading
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The environment
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5 Time
Valuing time
Time is valued in the Reggio Approach for all the different opportunities
it provides. In particular educators in Reggio value time for:
The Reggio Approach values the phase from birth to 6 years of age as a
stage in its own right, not simply as a preparation for the future. Teachers
and parents in Reggio do not talk about ‘getting children ready for
school’. Instead they value giving children time to experience the joy of
being 1 or 3 or 5 years old.
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Time
Pictures and stories from projects which have happened in the past are
part of the environment of the school, indoors and out. There are draw-
ings, photographs, descriptions and models in the classrooms, the atelier,
the entrance hall, the piazza and the garden. These traces of children
who have gone before help the current children to see that they are part
of a much larger community. Keeping and displaying young children’s
work in this way also gives children very powerful messages about how
important the adults think their learning is.
There are only three fixed times in the day – the start of the morning ses-
sion, lunchtime and the time when children leave. This allows children
to be involved in activities for long periods of time.
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Time
Anyone who has seen the Hundred Languages of Children exhibition will
be aware of the large-scale, long-term projects which young children in
Reggio are involved in. Some of these projects may last only a few weeks,
others go on for up to three months. Occasionally a large-scale project,
such as ‘Reggio Tutta’ (‘All About Reggio’), can last up to two years. This
project looked at the children’s views and feelings about living in the
city of Reggio Emilia and it involved the whole network of infant-toddler
centres and preschools.
A starting point for projects can come from children’s interests and
questions, events that have happened in the centre or ideas that the adults
suggest and the children are keen to follow up on. In the early stages of
a project a lot of time is spent by teachers and children talking about dif-
ferent possibilities and investigating different ideas. The final choice for
a project comes out of this discussion, but at this stage the final product
and how long it will last have not been decided.
A small group of children who are particularly enthusiastic about the
idea take on responsibility for the project. Work on the project happens
in the classroom, in the atelier or in the mini atelier on a daily basis for
as long as is necessary. At the beginning of each morning session there is
a class assembly where children agree what they are going to do for the
morning, where they are going to do it, and who they are going to work
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Time
In Reggio, planning the structure of the day around three fixed points
– arrival time, lunchtime and home time – creates a flexible routine in
which children have time to explore their interests and spend uninter-
rupted periods of time on things which engage their curiosity. Long-term
projects enable children to revisit activities again and again and learning
environments are organised so that ‘work in progress’ can be left out from
one day to the next.
In the principles and commitments of the EYFS we recognise the
importance of providing time for children to follow their interests and
consolidate their learning.
Babies and young children are individuals first, each with a unique
profile of abilities. Schedules and routines should flow with the
child’s need. All planning starts with observing children in order to
understand and consider their current interests, development and
learning.
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Time
or times for rest or sleep, time for stories and for individual or very
small group interaction with staff.
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Time
Thinking about all the different things which happen during the day and
seeing the value each can bring to young children’s learning and devel-
opment will help you to make the most of the time children spend with
you in your setting. During the course of the day children need time to:
Planning a daily routine which works well for both adults and children
depends on achieving a balance between organisational needs of the
adults and the interests and needs of the children. In any well organised
setting certain events have to take place at specific times of the day, but
within this framework it is possible to adopt a flexible approach which
also makes the most of the many learning opportunities which arise from
everyday routines.
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Time
For children to develop their interests and extend their learning they need
opportunities to become engrossed with ideas and activities which inter-
est them. Organising your daily routine to give children uninterrupted
time, and planning the environment so that they can have the opportunity
to come back to activities again and again will help to develop children’s
skills of concentration, persistence and diligence.
In Reggio, babies and young children spend a great deal of time explor-
ing natural and reclaimed materials, light, shadow, colour and reflection
(see Chapters 3 and 4). Open-ended materials and resources are provided
on a daily basis for children to use as starting points for investigations.
Alongside these, rooms are equipped with light boxes, overhead pro-
jectors, mirrors and shadow screens to encourage children to observe
carefully, experiment and use their imagination.
Time to communicate
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Time
learn how to listen to the contributions of others. Plans can also be made
for how time will be spent during the afternoon session.
Regular meal and snack times and free access to drinking water are an
important part of the daily routine of any early years setting. Snack time
during the morning can be arranged over a period of half to three-quarters
of an hour, with children having their mid-morning snack together in
small groups. This again provides an ideal opportunity for focused con-
versation about what children have been doing, for practising the skills
of pouring drinks and cutting fruit and for appreciating the importance
of being polite and helpful to one another.
By recognising all the important social learning opportunities which
exist around mealtimes, lunchtime can become a highlight of the day,
and an important social occasion, rather than a chore to be got over
with as quickly as possible (see ‘Ben’s Bistro’ p. 61). Children can help
to prepare the room and the tables for mealtimes, developing their
mathematical understanding as they do so. Lunchtime becomes a time
for practising a wide range of social and physical skills as well as an
opportunity for trying out new things.
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Time
Rest and sleep make a vital contribution to a healthy lifestyle for young
children. Tired children are irritable, unable to concentrate and unlikely
to benefit from the learning opportunities on offer to them. Time and
space for children to rest quietly and to sleep is an essential feature of
an early years setting. The time when children are resting is an ideal
opportunity for practitioners to write up observations made during the
morning session. It is also a good time to think about the kinds of expe-
riences it would be appropriate to offer children next in order to move
their learning on.
Time to be outdoors
Managing time outdoors will depend on the design of your building, the
nature of your outdoor space and the organisational structure of your set-
ting. Time spent outdoors is as effective and useful in supporting young
children’s learning as time spent indoors. Indeed, for some children it
will be more effective. Being flexible and open-minded in timetabling
the use of your outdoor space is essential.
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Time
● ideas the children have while they are investigating and exploring;
● situations or events which arise ‘spontaneously’ in the setting;
● suggestions which you as practitioners make and then discuss with
the children;
● ideas put forward by colleagues, parents or members of the local
community.
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Time
Snapshot
One of the bird sculptures made during the Enchanted Garden project
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Time
During this period the adults talked to the children about their experi-
ences and waited for a theme to arise. Out of this process came the theme
for the project – blue trees for the birds to perch on.
Children’s experience of birds was then enhanced by providing books,
pictures and artefacts around the setting to act as starting points for chil-
dren’s creative expression.
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Time
Further reading
76
Time
● How do we decide what the pattern of the day in our setting should
be?
● Do we give children enough uninterrupted time to become involved
in activities that interest them?
● Can children return to ‘work in progress’ later in the day/week?
● Are our routines flexible enough to allow children to follow their
interests?
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Time
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Learning and
6 teaching
Research is at the heart of the Reggio experience and the Reggio Approach
is constantly evolving as teachers learn more about how young children
learn.
In Reggio the adults in the infant-toddler centre and preschools believe
that the role of the teacher is not just to teach, but to learn. The teachers
learn from one another, from the atelierista and the pedagogista. They
also learn from the children with whom they share experiences and ideas
on a daily basis. Being comfortable about seeing children as partners in
teaching and learning links back to the very powerful image they have
of the child in Reggio Approach (see Chapter 2).
Children are encouraged to think of themselves as researchers, devel-
oping their own understanding of the world. They do this from their own
experiences and from sharing the experiences of the other members of
their group, class or school – adults as well as children. There are times
during each day when children meet together to share experiences
and review events. The teachers help children to remember what has
happened and to develop the habit of reflecting on their previous expe-
riences. Working in this way helps children to see themselves as very
clearly connected to the other children and adults in their school.
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Learning and teaching
In the Reggio Approach, children and teachers do not follow a set formal
curriculum. Instead, children’s questions and ideas are used as starting
points for developing their learning and teachers use their skills and
experience to build on these foundations. Children and adults explore
ideas together, learning from one other and building their knowledge
and understanding together.
There is, however, a framework of ‘progettazione’ or ‘projects’ which
underpins the way teachers and children work together in Reggio. This
curriculum framework is based on the belief that:
1. themed projects which cover four areas of learning which all children
will encounter each year. These are:
◗ relationships with oneself and others
◗ colour theory
◗ communication and representation
◗ books.
2. environmental projects which arise out of the core experiences,
resources and equipment available in the classroom, such as the
construction area, the light box, mirrors, message boxes, role-play
and book areas.
3. daily life projects which come from the daily assembly or daily life
at school. These projects might include:
◗ the journey to school or arrival and departure
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Learning and teaching
◗ mealtimes
◗ out of doors
◗ negotiation, forming groups and conflict resolution.
4. self-managed projects which are set up for children to do independ-
ently – individually or as part of a small group. These might be wire
sculptures, weaving or mandala pictures and patterns made from
natural or reclaimed materials without the use of glue.
Aspects of progettazione
Most of the projects in Reggio follow a similar pattern. All of the aspects
of progettazione listed below will be in place – making them more than
simply ‘projects’ as we know them in the UK.
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Learning and teaching
Group learning
Documentation
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Learning and teaching
83
Learning and teaching
The learning and development theme sets out the learning and develop-
ment requirements which underpin the six areas of learning:
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Learning and teaching
● creative development.
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Learning and teaching
● children feeling safe and secure, which helps them to become con-
fident learners;
● children initiating activities which promote learning and enable them
to learn from each other;
● children learning through movement and all their senses;
● children having time to explore interests and ideas in depth;
● children learning in different ways and at different rates;
● children making links in their learning – making links in learning is
the basis of creativity and becoming an effective learner;
● creative and imaginative play activities that promote the development
and use of language.
Effective teaching
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Learning and teaching
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Learning and teaching
Empathy Reasoning
Motivation Evaluation
Information processing
the teaching and learning in their own settings. The areas they have
looked at include:
Children are naturally curious from the day they are born. They very
soon begin to develop ideas and theories about the world around them,
even before they can express their ideas in words. Adults in your set-
ting need to engage with children on an individual basis, encouraging
them to express their ideas and feelings and listening to what they have
to say.
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Learning and teaching
The sorts of questions which you will find useful in developing children’s
ideas and theories include:
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Learning and teaching
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Learning and teaching
Individual learning
Group learning
● both adults and children are members of the learning group – and the
adult is not always in charge;
● children will learn to collaborate, work as part of a team and negotiate;
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Learning and teaching
● as the adult, you may need to ensure that the group sets rules for itself
and sticks to them;
● children and adults together will develop critical thinking skills and
become emotionally involved in the work of the group;
● discoveries made by individual children will become part of the learn-
ing of all of the members of the group.
Documentation
One of the greatest influences that the Reggio Approach has had on early
years practice in the UK is the quality of documentation found in many
early years settings.
We have a long tradition of displaying children’s work but there has
often been a focus on displaying the final product, not the learning
process.
Increasingly, many early years settings use documentation to show
how:
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Learning and teaching
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Learning and teaching
Most early years settings in the UK have systems for sharing children’s
development and daily activities with individual parents. There is also
a strong tradition of ‘having something to take home’ at the end of each
session.
Sharing children’s learning with parents can be more of a challenge.
You could try:
● a daily diary for the whole group using digital photographs and
observations;
● displaying documentation (photographs, the children’s words and
your observations) which shows the learning process rather than the
end product;
● an automatic PowerPoint presentation of the children in the entrance;
● well presented booklets for parents, created at the end of a project.
Celebrating learning
More and more early years practitioners are recognising the value of
engaging with the local community by making, and taking, opportunities
to celebrate children’s learning outside of the setting. There are many
different ways in which you can celebrate children’s successes, such as:
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Learning and teaching
Snapshot
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Learning and teaching
to the pet shop was marked out in grey paper, some small-world cars
and people added, and a selection of pens was easily accessible so the
children could add to the map if they wished. Many children began by
playing with the cars and people inventing stories with them and each
other, but then gradually they started drawing on the map.
One of the boys said he was drawing a pond between two roads and
another child stared to help him. Eventually his blue pen went onto a
‘road’. This created great excitement and discussion as to what would
happen to the cars.
The children and adults discussed how they could warn other drivers
not to drive down the flooded road and three of the children decided to
draw warning signs. One of the boys wrote ‘ON’ (NO). Another drew a
circle with a line through it and then found some red paper and stuck it
over the road. The third boy drew a T-shaped line by the side of the road.
They all used their past experience and knowledge to solve the problem
in different ways.
The careful documentation of ‘making maps together’ enabled the
practitioner to discover how the different children in the group were
developing their reasoning and thinking, and making sense of the world.
By careful listening and timely intervention she was able to use the
opportunity to move the children on to the next stage in their learning.
The documentation was then shared with colleagues to help with the
interpretation of what had happened. This, in turn, was later shared with
the children’s parents along with photographs taken and the actual maps
which the children made.
Reference
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Learning and teaching
Further reading
This book looks at the learning of children and adults as individuals and
in groups and gives an insight into the power of documentation.
In the story told in this book, the children are confronted with a real-life
situation. The school needs a new work table, one which will be identical
to the others, the same size and the same shape. The children suggest that
a carpenter is invited to preschool and asked to build the table. When
the carpenter asks for the measurements the children agree to provide
them. But then the challenge is set – ‘Do you know how to measure?’
From a project carried out in the Fiastri and Rodari Preschools, a book
that collects thoughts and predictions on the future by 5- and 6-year-old
children.
‘The future can only be seen in the witch’s glass ball. We can’t see it:
I don’t know if I’m going to be good tomorrow! To know that you have
to study, to think with your head. The future is tomorrow ‘cause the glass
ball shows you what there’ll be tomorrow or what there was before.’
Ferri, G. (ed.) (1999) Everything has a Shadow Except Ants. Italy: Reggio
Children.
The children at the Diana and Gulliver preschools explore the everyday
encounter with shadows. This book is built around their theories and
thoughts about shadows and light.
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Learning and teaching
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Learning and teaching
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7 Reflective practice
Teachers as researchers
In Reggio it is felt that the role of the teacher is not only to teach, but also
to learn. Staff take responsibility for their own professional development
and learn from discussions and debates with colleagues, the atelieris-
tas, the pedagogistas and with parents. There is an understanding that
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Reflective practice
Revisiting documentation
101
Reflective practice
Ongoing research
International networks
102
Reflective practice
103
Reflective practice
104
Reflective practice
105
Reflective practice
106
Reflective practice
Action research
107
Reflective practice
Reflecting together on what you have seen will help you to interpret
your observations and draw some conclusions. Inevitably many more
questions will arise which will help you to plan your next piece of action
research. You may then decide to:
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Reflective practice
Snapshot
Treasureboxes®
For some time staff in a nursery had been thinking about how they could
improve the way in which they communicated with parents about the
importance of young children’s play in the Foundation Stage. In particu-
lar they wanted to encourage parents to become active participants in
their children’s learning.
Following a discussion between the early years advisory team and
the setting staff, it was agreed that they would develop a small library
of interesting and unusual resources to share with families. The staff
team then participated in training on Treasureboxes® – collections of
interesting and unusual resources to promote exploration and investiga-
tion. Following the training session the staff decided to use the idea of
Treasurebox collections on the theme of light, to share with families.
Weekly workshops were set up at which parents, practitioners and chil-
dren met together to choose a range of resources to include in a Treasurebox
collection to take home. These selections were based on practitioners’
previous observations of the sorts of resources and ideas which the child
might be interested in. Also included in the box were a disposable camera
and a notepad for parents to use to record their observations. Families
borrowed the Treasurebox® for approximately a week and were asked to
observe and note what their child did with the resources at home. When
the Treasurebox® was returned the practitioner spent time talking with
the families about their observations on how the resources had been used.
The ideas developed by children at home were then shared with the
rest of the child’s group and used as the starting point for new explora-
tions and investigations in the nursery.
Sharing information in this way, and basing future planning in the
nursery around ideas and activities carried out at home, gave parents
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Reflective practice
Reference
Further reading
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Reflective practice
111
Conclusion
112
Conclusion
The themes and principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage provide
the framework in which to develop this way of working.
The key to improving quality in early years settings is to develop reflec-
tive practice amongst all practitioners. Understanding more about the
Reggio Approach will help you to develop high-quality practice which
is appropriate to your own culture and context. Whilst taking inspiration
from the work of the educators in Reggio Emilia, it is important not to lose
sight of the rich history and traditions found in the best early childhood
settings in the United Kingdom.
In the words of Aldo Fortunati of the University of Bologna:
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Useful contacts
Reggio Children
Sightlines Initiative
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Useful contacts
alc associates
alc associates, Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton, provide training and
consultancy on how the Reggio Approach can be used to inspire high-
quality care and learning in the UK. If you would like to learn more about
the Reggio Approach and the work of the preschools and infant-toddler
centres in Reggio Emilia, read Understanding the Reggio Approach, 2nd
edition by Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton, published in 2009 by David
Fulton Publishers. Further details of the work of alc associates are avail-
able on their website, www.alcassociates.co.uk
Reflections on Learning
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